Electrical power outage detection system

ABSTRACT

A power outage detection system may include a device processor; and a non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions executable by the device processor to perform the following steps: receiving information indicative of the status of electrical power at a plurality of locations within a geographic region; determining the status of electrical power in the geographic region based on the status of electrical power at the plurality of locations; determining a boundary of an area in which electrical power is unavailable; and preparing a map that illustrates the boundary.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Divisional of Lecocke et al., U.S. Pat. No.11,125,800, issued on Sep. 21, 2021, and titled “Electrical Power OutageDetection System”, which claimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/753,629 filed Oct. 31, 2018 and titled“Electrical Power Outage Detection System”. The disclosures of which areincorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to post-disaster conditionmonitoring systems and, more particularly, to an electrical power outagedetection system.

BACKGROUND

Following disasters, such as hurricanes, tornados, floods, etc., it canbe difficult to assess the conditions in a disaster area. Disasterresponse can be better tailored to the conditions if the conditions areknown.

There is a need in the art for a system and method that addresses theshortcomings discussed above. In particular, there is a need in the artfor a disaster condition monitoring system.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for monitoringthe conditions following a disaster. In some embodiments, the disclosedsystem may be configured to detect power outages. In some embodiments,the system may be configured to detect water contamination. In someembodiments, the system may be configured to collect data regardingpost-disaster conditions from pre-existing networks. In someembodiments, the system may be configured to utilize crowd sourcedimagery to determine post-disaster conditions. In some embodiments, thesystem may be configured to utilize drones to collect imagery todetermine post-disaster conditions. Further, the disclosed system mayinclude an app or website interface to enable users to upload imageryand/or volunteer the services of their personal drone.

In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a power outagedetection system. The system may include a device processor; and anon-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the following steps:receiving information indicative of the status of electrical power at aplurality of locations within a geographic region; determining thestatus of electrical power in the geographic region based on the statusof electrical power at the plurality of locations; and sendinginformation regarding the status of electrical power to a plurality ofusers of the system.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a power outagedetection system. The system may include a device processor; and anon-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the following steps:receiving information indicative of the status of electrical power at aplurality of locations within a geographic region; determining thestatus of electrical power in the geographic region based on the statusof electrical power at the plurality of locations; determining aboundary of an area in which electrical power is unavailable; andpreparing a map that illustrates the boundary.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a power outagedetection system. The system may include a device processor; and anon-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the following steps:receiving information indicative of the status of electrical power at aplurality of locations within a geographic region; determining thestatus of electrical power in the geographic region based on the statusof electrical power at the plurality of locations; determining that auser within the geographic region has electrical power available basedthe information received; and preparing a map that indicates that anarea proximate to the user in the geographic region has electrical poweravailable.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a watercontamination detection system. The system may include a deviceprocessor; and a non-transitory computer readable medium includinginstructions executable by the device processor to perform the followingsteps: receiving information indicative of the presence of one or morecontaminants in water within a geographic region; determining acharacterization of water contamination within the geographic region;and sending information regarding water contamination to a plurality ofusers of the system.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a watercontamination detection system. The system may include a deviceprocessor; and a non-transitory computer readable medium includinginstructions executable by the device processor to perform the followingsteps: receiving information indicative of the presence of one or morecontaminants in water within a geographic region; determining acharacterization of water contamination within the geographic region;and preparing a map indicating the location of contamination in thewater in the geographic region.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a watercontamination detection system. The system may include a deviceprocessor; and a non-transitory computer readable medium includinginstructions executable by the device processor to perform the followingsteps: receiving information indicative of the presence of one or morecontaminants in a body of water within a geographic region; determininga characterization of water contamination within the geographic region;and sending information regarding water contamination to a plurality ofusers of the system.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a post-disasterconditions monitoring system. The system may include a device processor;and a non-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the following steps:receiving information from one or more pre-existing networks;determining conditions in a geographic region based on the informationreceived from the one or more pre-existing networks; and preparing a mapindicating the conditions within the geographic region.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a post-disasterconditions monitoring system. The system may include a device processor;and a non-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the following steps:receiving information from one or more pre-existing networks;determining conditions in a geographic region based on the informationreceived from the one or more pre-existing networks; and sendinginformation regarding the determined conditions to a third partyassociated with disaster response.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a post-disasterconditions monitoring system. The system may include a device processor;and a non-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the following steps:receiving information from one or more pre-existing networks;determining conditions in a geographic region based on the informationreceived from the one or more pre-existing networks; and sendinginformation regarding the determined conditions to one or more users ofthe system.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a post-disasterconditions monitoring system. The system may include a device processor;and a non-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the following steps:receiving a plurality of images from a plurality of personal devices ina geographic region; determining conditions in a geographic region basedon the information received from the plurality of images; and preparinga map indicating the determined conditions within the geographic region.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a post-disasterconditions monitoring system. The system may include a device processor;and a non-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the following steps:receiving a plurality of images from a plurality of personal devices ina geographic region; determining conditions in a geographic region basedon the information received from the plurality of images; determining,based on the images, locations where images are needed to complete thedetermination of conditions in the geographic region; and preparing amap identifying one or more locations where imagery is needed.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a post-disasterconditions monitoring system. The system may include a device processor;and a non-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the following steps:displaying information regarding locations where images are needed tocomplete a post-disaster conditions determination; selecting at leastone location of the one or more locations where images are needed;uploading images of the at least one location; and sending the images toa conditions monitoring center.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a post-disasterconditions monitoring system. The system may include plurality ofaircraft drones configured to take photographic images; a conditionsmonitoring center having a controller including a device processor and anon-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the following steps:receiving images from the plurality of aircraft drones in a geographicregion; determining conditions in the geographic region based on theimages received from the plurality of aircraft drones; and sendinginformation regarding the determined conditions to one or more users ofthe system.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a post-disasterconditions monitoring system. The system may include device processor;and a non-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the following steps:selecting an option to volunteer the services of a personal drone; andsending a registration for the volunteer drone services to a conditionsmonitoring center.

In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a post-disasterconditions monitoring system. The system may include a plurality of landvehicle drones equipped with air quality sensors: a conditionsmonitoring center having a controller including a device processor and anon-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the following steps:receiving data from the air quality sensors; determining conditions in ageographic region based on the data received from the air qualitysensors; and sending information regarding the determined conditions toone or more users of the system.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the disclosure willbe, or will become, apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following figures and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features, andadvantages be included within this description and this summary, bewithin the scope of the disclosure, and be protected by the followingclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be better understood with reference to the followingdrawings and description. The components in the figures are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustratingthe principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, likereference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout thedifferent views.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a disaster area monitoring system;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a map showing multiple layers ofinformation illustrating different conditions within the disaster area;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a power outage detection system;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a map showing locations of poweroutages;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of analyzing and utilizingpower outage data;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating another process of analyzing andutilizing power outage data;

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of a water contamination monitoringsystem;

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of a map showing locations ofcontaminated flood waters;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process of analyzing and utilizingwater contamination data;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another process of analyzing andutilizing water contamination data;

FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of a map showing locations ofcontaminated bodies of water;

FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of a post-disaster monitoring systemconfigured to receive data from multiple pre-existing networks;

FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of a map showing locations whereconditions are favorable and unfavorable based on the data obtained frompre-existing networks;

FIG. 14 is a schematic illustration of the map of FIG. 13 with anadditional layer of population density data added;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a process of analyzing and utilizingdata from pre-existing networks;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating another process of analyzing andutilizing data from pre-existing networks;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating another process of analyzing andutilizing data from pre-existing networks;

FIG. 18 is a schematic illustration of a post-disaster monitoring systemconfigured to receive crowd sourced images;

FIG. 19 is a schematic illustration of a map showing locations of poweroutages and contaminated flood waters;

FIG. 20 is a schematic illustration of a map showing locations whereadditional images are needed to complete the map;

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a process of analyzing and utilizingcrowd sourced images;

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating another process of analyzing andutilizing crowd sourced images;

FIG. 23 is a schematic illustration of a portable electronic deviceshowing an app interface for uploading images;

FIG. 24 is a schematic illustration of a post-disaster monitoring systemconfigured to receive images obtained using a fleet of drones;

FIG. 25 is a schematic illustration of a the system shown in FIG. 24with the drones airborne and collecting images;

FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating a process of dispatching drones forcapturing images on an ongoing basis;

FIG. 27 is a schematic illustration of a post-disaster monitoring systemincluding at least one signal repeater deployed on a vehicle;

FIG. 28 is a schematic illustration of a portable electronic deviceshowing an app interface for volunteering use of a personal drone;

FIG. 29 is a schematic illustration of a post-disaster monitoring systemincluding a plurality of land vehicles; and

FIG. 30 is a schematic illustration of components of the system shown inFIG. 29 .

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The disclosed post-disaster condition monitoring systems may includeseveral features for assessing the conditions in a disaster area, whichmay enable more effective, efficient, and prioritized disaster response.The disclosed systems may be configured to detect power outages and/orwater contamination by collecting information from various sources. Insome embodiments, the system may be configured to collect data regardingpost-disaster conditions from pre-existing networks, such as trafficlights, and residential services, such as Internet service. In someembodiments, the system may be configured to utilize crowd sourcedimagery, e.g., by collecting images from the smart phones of person in adisaster area in order to determine post-disaster conditions. Theseimages may be combined and analyzed in order to provide a clearillustration of the conditions across the various regions of a disasterarea. Similarly, in some embodiments, the system may be configured toutilize drones to collect imagery to determine post-disaster conditions.Further, the disclosed system may include an app or website interface toenable users to upload imagery and/or volunteer the services of theirpersonal drone, as well as interact with a conditions monitoring centerperforming the analyses.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a disaster area monitoring system.As shown in FIG. 1 , the disaster area monitoring system may include apower outage detection system 100. FIG. 1 is a schematic networkillustration of system 100.

As shown in FIG. 1 , system 100 may include a controller 105. Controller105 may include various computing and communications hardware, such asservers, integrated circuits, displays, etc. Further, controller 105 mayinclude a device processor 110 and a non-transitory computer readablemedium 115 including instructions executable by device processor 110 toperform the processes discussed herein. The components of controller 105may be implemented in association with a mobile conditions monitoringcenter, such as vehicle, or in association with a control center orconditions monitoring center located in a permanent building (i.e.,brick and mortar establishment).

The non-transitory computer readable medium may include any suitablecomputer readable medium, such as a memory, e.g., RAM, ROM, flashmemory, or any other type of memory known in the art. In someembodiments, the non-transitory computer readable medium may include,for example, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, anoptical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of suchdevices. More specific examples of the non-transitory computer readablemedium may include a portable computer diskette, a floppy disk, a harddisk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a staticrandom access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory(CD-ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flashmemory), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, and anysuitable combination of these exemplary media. A non-transitory computerreadable medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as beingtransitory signals, such as radio waves or other freely propagatingelectromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through awaveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passingthrough a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted througha wire.

Instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium forcarrying out operations of the present invention may beinstruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, assembler instructions,machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode,firmware instructions, configuration data for integrated circuitry,state-setting data, or source code or object code written in any of oneor more programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or suitable language, and proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages.

Aspects of the present disclosure are described in association withfigures illustrating flowcharts and/or block diagrams of methods,apparatus (systems), and computing products. It will be understood thateach block of the flowcharts and/or block diagrams can be implemented bycomputer readable instructions. The flowcharts and block diagrams in thefigures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation ofpossible implementations of various disclosed embodiments. Accordingly,each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module,segment, or portion of instructions. In some implementations, thefunctions set forth in the figures and claims may occur in analternative order than listed and/or illustrated.

Controller 105 may include networking hardware configured to interfacewith other nodes of a network, such as a LAN, WLAN, or other networks.In Further, controller 105 may be configured to receive data from aplurality of sources and communicate information to one or more externaldestinations. Accordingly, controller 105 may include a receiver 120 anda transmitter 125. (It will be appreciated that, in some embodiments,the receiver and transmitter may be combined in a transceiver.)

Any suitable communication platforms and/or protocols may be utilizedfor communication between controller 105 and other components of thesystem. Since the various sources of information may each have their ownplatform and/or protocol, system 100 may be configured to interface witheach platform and/or protocol to receive the data.

As shown in FIG. 1 , system 100 may be configured to receive informationregarding the conditions in a disaster area from a variety of sources.For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , system 100 may receive electricalpower outage information 130. In addition, system 100 may receiveflooding information 135, as indicated in FIG. 1 by a house 140 withflood water 145. In some cases, contamination of the flood water may bedetected. The stippling of flood water 145 indicates contamination offlood water 145 with any of a variety of contaminants.

As also shown in FIG. 1 , system 100 may be configured to receiveinformation regarding outages of residential services, such as Internetservice 150. Knowledge of Internet outages enables disaster respondersto identify whether Internet based communications are available to thosewho find themselves in a disaster area.

In some embodiments, system 100 may be configured to receive informationreported by users. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , system 100 may beconfigured to receive information from a user 155. As an example, system100 may be configured to receive photographic images 165 from user 155.Images of a disaster area enable a conditions monitoring center to makedeterminations regarding the best and most urgent way to respond to adisaster.

In some embodiments, system 100 may include a plurality of dronesutilized to take photographic images of the disaster area. For example,as shown in FIG. 1 , system 100 may be configured to receiveinformation, such as photographic images of a disaster area from a fleet170 of drones. Fleet 170 may include as many drones as suitable tomonitor a disaster area of a given size and severity. FIG. 1 illustratesthree such drones, including a first drone 175, a second drone 180, anda third drone 185. As shown in FIG. 1 , these drones may be aerialdrones. In some embodiments, land vehicle drones and/or watercraftdrones may be used.

One or more of the drones may include photography equipment, such as acamera 190, as shown in FIG. 1 . It will be understood that the dronesdisclosed herein may be capable of taking still images and/or videorecordings. In some embodiments, the imaging may be more sophisticated.For example, in some cases the drones may be capable of infrared and/ornight vision capabilities. As further shown in FIG. 1 , controller 105may be configured to receive images 195 from drone fleet 170.Accordingly, controller 105 may be configured to receive the varioustypes of imagery that the drones are capable of obtaining. It will beunderstood that the other drones discussed below may also have a varietyof data collection capabilities as set forth above.

The drones may be manually controlled or autonomously controlled. Insome cases, controller 105 or another controller associated with theconditions monitoring center may communicate with the drones to controltheir operation and/or to receive the images taken by the drones. Insome embodiments, a global positioning system (GPS) navigation systemmay be utilized to fly the drones to the desired location for takingphotographs and back. For example, in some embodiments, the user mayeither input a location to which they would like the drone to fly.Alternatively, controller 105 may obtain location information recordedand transmitted by the user's personal electronic device. Controller 105may be configured to dispatch and command the drones to completereconnaissance flights to take images of a disaster area. Accordingly,computer readable medium 115 may include instructions for receiving thislocation information from any of a variety of sources and completing thedrone mission to the designated location.

Information from other sources may be received by controller 105 inorder to assess the conditions in a disaster area or any other area inwhich conditions are desired to be determined. For example, it may bedesirable to monitor large crowds of people in order to maintaineffective and efficient security and service among the crowd.Accordingly, system 100 may be utilized to monitor geographic regionsand/or venues under circumstances other than disasters.

Based on the information received and processed by controller 105,system 100 may prepare a map illustrating conditions in the monitoredgeographic area. Information regarding multiple different conditions maybe indicated on the map. In some embodiments, the information may beprovided in layers. The layers may be selectable by the user as to whichlayers of information are shown on the map at a given time.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a map showing multiple layers ofinformation illustrating different conditions within the disaster area.As shown in FIG. 2 , a map 200 illustrates a geographic region with landareas 205 and water areas 210. Map 200 shows at least two layers ofpost-disaster condition information. In particular, map 200 illustratesa plurality of areas 215 which have been determined to be dangerous. Forexample, these areas may include residential homes that have beenseverely damaged by a tornado, with debris littering the roadways in thearea. In addition, map 200 also illustrates certain bodies of water tobe contaminated, as indicated by symbol 220.

In some embodiments, either the “danger” layer or the watercontamination layer of information may be deselected as desired. Whilemap 200 is shown with only two layers for clarity, additional layers maybe added. For example, other conditions for which alternative oradditional layers could be added may include flooding, landslides, haildamage, flood damage, etc., as well as outages for various services,such as electrical power, landline telephone service, cellular (mobilephone and Internet) service, Wifi, etc.

Power Outages

A significant condition that dictates disaster response is the status ofelectrical power in a geographic region. In areas where select homes andbuildings may be damaged by floods, fires, hurricanes, etc., some homesmay be without electrical power, even though the electrical power gridas a whole in that area remains operational. That is, if a resident'shome is damaged severely enough, they can lose electrical power eventhough the main power lines may be intact. Various other types of damageto buildings and their surroundings can cause power outages to selectbuildings in a geographic region.

The status of electrical power availability can be inferred based onseveral different sources of information. For example, if Internet ofThings devices remain online and operational, it can be determined thatat least one portion of that building has electrical power. Similarly,if residential services, such as Internet service, cable television,Satellite television, or other networked services, are detected to beonline and operational, it can be inferred that the building in whichthese services are operational has electrical power. Conversely, ifInternet of Things devices and residential services are not detected tobe operational, it can be determined that a power outage is possible.

Because the absence of signals from such services may not be conclusive(i.e. those services may simply be turned off at the moment), the systemmay be configured to consider other information as well, to moredefinitively determine whether electrical power is truly unavailable.For example, emergency calling records (i.e., 911 calls), as well asother types of reporting, can be considered. If a user reported anoutage, or if they reported that no lights are on in their neighbor'shome, that information can be considered to piece together theconditions in the region. Other such sources of data may include vehiclecommunications systems. For example, many vehicles have monitoringsystems to which a plurality of data is reported. If a vehicle reportsan electrical short, or moisture, then it may indicate flood conditions,which could indicate a likely loss of electrical power in the region.Also, personal electronic devices, such as mobile phones, can have thebattery charge state monitored remotely by the phone/data serviceprovider. If a user's phone has a significant charge, particularly aftera long duration following the occurrence of a disaster, that couldindicate that they have a power source available from which they areable to charge their device.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a power outage detection system300. FIG. 3 is a schematic network illustration of system 300. As shownin FIG. 3 , system 300 may include a controller 305. Controller 305 mayinclude various computing and communications hardware, such as servers,integrated circuits, displays, etc. Further, controller 305 may includea device processor 310 and a non-transitory computer readable medium 315including instructions executable by device processor 310 to perform theprocesses discussed herein. The components of controller 305 may beimplemented in association with a mobile conditions monitoring center,such as vehicle, or in association with a control center or conditionsmonitoring center located in a permanent building (i.e., brick andmortar establishment). Controller 305 and its components may have thesame or similar features as controller 105 and its components discussedabove.

Computer readable medium 315 may include instructions to perform thefollowing steps: receiving information indicative of the status ofelectrical power at a plurality of locations within a geographic region;and determining the status of electrical power in the geographic regionbased on the status of electrical power at the plurality of locations.

As shown in FIG. 3 , controller 305 may be configured to receiveinformation regarding battery status 330 of personal electronic devicesin a geographic region. If a large number of the personal electronicdevices having network connections, e.g., via the Internet, aredetermined to have low levels of battery charge, it could be indicativethat there is not any electrical power available with which to chargethose devices. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the informationindicative of the status of electrical power for which computer readablemedium 315 includes instructions to receive includes informationregarding battery state of a portable electronic device.

In addition, system 300 may receive Internet of Things information 335,as indicated in FIG. 3 , by a house 340 with flood water 345. In someembodiments, the house may be equipped with one or more moisture sensorsconfigured to detect flooding. Controller 305 may be configured toreceive data from such sensors. Accordingly, in some embodiments, theinformation indicative of the status of electrical power for whichcomputer readable medium 315 includes instructions to receive includesinformation regarding operating status of Internet of Things devices inthe geographic region.

Additionally, or alternatively, in some cases, contamination of theflood water may be detected. The stippling of flood water 345 indicatescontamination of flood water 345 with any of a variety of contaminants.Data indicating the presence and, in some cases magnitude, ofcontamination of water may be received by controller 305.

In some embodiments, the information indicative of the status ofelectrical power for which the computer readable medium includesinstructions to receive includes information regarding usage of servicesthat are trackable remotely. For example, information pertaining tooutages of services 350, such as Internet service, electrical service,cable television service, satellite television, etc., may be received bycontroller 305.

In some embodiments, the information indicative of the status ofelectrical power for which the computer readable medium includesinstructions to receive includes information regarding user reports 355of conditions in the geographic region. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, users may submit reports of the operating status of various systemsassociated with their whereabouts. Such reports may be submitted in anyof a variety of ways. For example, in some cases, an emergencyapplication on the user's phone may enable the user to report on thestatus of one or more systems on the premises.

In some embodiments, the information indicative of the status ofelectrical power for which the computer readable medium includesinstructions to receive includes information regarding emergencytelephone calls 360 (e.g., 911 calls). Emergency call records mayinclude reports of power outages in the caller's home or in buildingsnearby.

System 300, or a third party system, may analyze the informationreceived regarding possible power outages, and may make determinationsregarding the conditions in the geographic region from which theinformation is received. System 300 may be configured to sendinformation regarding the status of electrical power to informorganizations and residents of the situation. For, example, in someembodiments, computer readable medium 315 may include instructions forsending information regarding the status of electrical power to aplurality of users of system 300. For instance, users may access awebsite or an app on their personal electronic device to which system300 may send reports of electrical power outages.

Another way in which the determined conditions may be communicated toothers is via the preparation and distribution of a map showing thelocalities in which electrical power is unavailable. Accordingly, insome embodiments, computer readable medium 315 may include instructionsfor determining a boundary of an area in which electrical power isunavailable, and preparing a map that illustrates the boundary.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a map showing locations of poweroutages. FIG. 4 shows a map 400, illustrating land areas 405 and waterareas 410. Map 400 shows areas with power outages using a power outagesymbol 415, which may illustrate general areas in which electrical poweris unavailable. In some cases, map 400 may illustrate boundariesdefining the areas in which electrical power is available andunavailable. For example, in another area, a second power outage symbol415 labels an area defined by a boundary 425, which identifies theboundary between the area of the power outage inside boundary 425 andthe area where electrical power is available (i.e., outside boundary425.

Affirmative data and reports regarding the availability of power arebeneficial to determining power outage conditions in a given geographicarea. Data and reports that positively indicate the availability ofpower are definitive, whereas the data and reports indicative of theabsence of power can be inconclusive. In some embodiments, computerreadable medium 415 may include instructions for determining that a userwithin the geographic region has electrical power available based theinformation received, and preparing a map that indicates that an areaproximate to the user in the geographic region has electrical poweravailable. Accordingly, preparing the map include determining a boundaryof an area in which electrical power is available.

Other sources of information indicative of power outages may includeinformation regarding operating status of onboard automobilediagnostics. Vehicle diagnostics monitoring and reporting systems mayindicate electrical shorts and/or a complete lack of signal, either ofwhich may indicate a possible flood. If the flood has damaged theelectrical system of the vehicle, it may also render electrical powerunavailable in local building structures.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of analyzing and utilizingpower outage data. As shown in FIG. 5 , the computer readable medium mayinclude instructions for receiving power outage data from multiplesources (step 500). In addition, the computer readable medium mayinclude instructions for analyzing the data to determine power outageconditions, e.g., following a disaster (step 505). Further, the computerreadable medium may include instructions for sending informationpertaining to power outage conditions to personal electronic devices ofusers who may have an interest in the information (step 510).

The broadcast of information may be sent to any suitable groups ofpersons. For example, in some cases, the information may be sent tousers of the system. For example, users may register for access to theinformation broadcast by the system. Such broadcasts may be sent viaemail, text message, or simply made available via a website or anapplication for a personal electronic device. Such information couldalso be made available to the general public, via a webpage. In somecases, the broadcasts may be targeted to cellular users in a geographicregion, whether they are registered with the system or not. For example,warnings or alerts may be sent to the users for all cellular carriers inthe region.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating another process of analyzing andutilizing power outage data. As shown in FIG. 6 , the computer readablemedium may include instructions for receiving power outage data frommultiple sources (step 600). In addition, the computer readable mediummay include instructions for analyzing the data to determine poweroutage conditions, e.g., following a disaster (step 605). Further, thecomputer readable medium may include instructions for preparing a mapillustrating power outage conditions within a geographic region, such asa disaster area (step 610).

Water Contamination

A monitoring system can be used to detect whether contaminants, such asorganic pollutants, such as sewage or biohazardous waste; chemicalpollutants, such as petroleum based compounds (e.g., oil, gasoline,etc.), coal ash, and other chemical compositions; or other dangerous orotherwise undesirable items, are found in water. Alternatively, oradditionally, the monitoring system may be configured to detect whetheranimals, such as snakes or insects (e.g., fire ants), are found inwater. Contamination may be monitored in flood waters and/orpre-existing bodies of water (i.e., bodies of water that existed priorto a disaster occurred). In some cases, contamination sensors that aredisposable may be used. Such sensors can feed back information andultimately wash away out of range and/or run out of battery. This can bedone for fires or other disasters as well.

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of a water contamination monitoringsystem. FIG. 7 is a schematic network illustration of system 700. Asshown in FIG. 7 , system 700 may include a controller 705. Controller705 may include various computing and communications hardware, such asservers, integrated circuits, displays, etc. Further, controller 705 mayinclude a device processor 710 and a non-transitory computer readablemedium 715 including instructions executable by device processor 710 toperform the processes discussed herein. The components of controller 705may be implemented in association with a mobile conditions monitoringcenter, such as vehicle, or in association with a control center orconditions monitoring center located in a permanent building (i.e.,brick and mortar establishment). Controller 705 and its components mayhave the same or similar features as controller 105 and its componentsdiscussed above.

Computer readable medium 715 may include instructions to perform thefollowing steps: receiving information indicative of the presence of oneor more contaminants in water within a geographic region; anddetermining a characterization of water contamination within thegeographic region.

As shown in FIG. 7 , controller 705 may be configured to receiveinformation regarding sewage contamination 730 in a geographic region.Such information can be collected by various sewage sensors that may bedeployed in flood waters or pre-existing bodies of water.

In addition, system 700 may receive Internet of Things information 735,as indicated in FIG. 7 , by a house 740 with flood water 745. In someembodiments, the house may be equipped with one or more moisture sensorsconfigured to detect flooding. Also, as indicated by stippling in floodwater 745, contamination may also be detected in flood water 745.Further, Internet of Things sensors may also be configured to detectcontamination in the water supply of a home or building. Controller 705may be configured to receive data from such sensors.

In some embodiments, the information indicative of water contaminationmay be sent to one or more parties. For example, computer readablemedium 715 may include instructions for sending information regardingwater contamination to a plurality of users of system 700.

When flooding occurs, the presence of various types of dangerous animalsin the flood waters can be a concern. Accordingly, in some embodiments,computer readable medium 715 may include instructions for receivinginformation 750 regarding the presence of one or more predeterminedtypes of animals in water. Such information may be received in the formof reports from system users, 911 callers, or other reporting platforms.For example, as shown in FIG. 7 , a user 755 may report the presence ofdangerous animals, such as snakes 760 in flood waters or in pre-existingbodies of water in which such animals are not typically found, or arenot typically found in as high of a population.

Flooded coal ash ponds can contaminate not only flood waters, but alsopre-existing bodies of water and local water supplies. Accordingly,computer readable medium 715 may also include instructions for receivinginformation regarding coal ash content 765, illustrated in FIG. 7 by anoverflowing coal ash pond.

In some embodiments, system 700 may be configured to send informationregarding the water contamination to inform organizations and residentsof the situation. For, example, in some embodiments, computer readablemedium 715 may include instructions for sending information regardingwater contamination to a plurality of users of system 700. For instance,users may access a website or an app on their personal electronic deviceto which system 700 may send reports of electrical power outages.

Another way in which the determined conditions may be communicated toothers is via the preparation and distribution of a map showing thelocalities in which water contamination has been detected. Accordingly,in some embodiments, computer readable medium 715 may includeinstructions for preparing a map indicating the location ofcontamination in the water in the geographic region.

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of a map showing locations ofcontaminated flood waters. FIG. 8 shows a map 800, illustrating landareas 805 and water areas 810. Map 800 shows areas with flood watercontamination using a water contamination symbol 815, which mayillustrate general areas in which electrical power is unavailable. Asshown in FIG. 8 , the flood waters may be found along a coastline 820 ofwater 810.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process of analyzing and utilizingwater contamination data. As shown in FIG. 9 , the computer readablemedium may include instructions for receiving information indicative ofthe presence of one or more contaminants in a body of water within ageographic region from multiple sources (step 900). In addition, thecomputer readable medium may include instructions for analyzing the datato determine water contamination conditions, e.g., following a disaster(step 905). Further, the computer readable medium may includeinstructions for sending information pertaining to water contaminationconditions to personal electronic devices of users who may have aninterest in the information (step 910).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another process of analyzing andutilizing water contamination data. As shown in FIG. 10 , the computerreadable medium may include instructions for receiving informationindicative of the presence of one or more contaminants in a body ofwater within a geographic region from multiple sources (step 1000). Inaddition, the computer readable medium may include instructions foranalyzing the data to determine water contamination conditions, e.g.,following a disaster (step 1005). Further, the computer readable mediummay include instructions for preparing a map indicating the location ofcontamination in the water in the geographic region (step 1010).

As noted above, contamination may be detected in drinking water, floodwater, and/or pre-existing bodies of water. FIG. 11 is a schematicillustration of a map showing locations of contaminated bodies of water.FIG. 11 shows a map 1100, illustrating land areas 1105 and bodies ofwater, such as a first body of water 1110, a second body of water 1115,and a third body of water 1120. These bodies of water may bepre-existing or may be formed by flood waters. Map 1100 shows areas withflood water contamination. For example, a first stippled watercontamination symbol 1125 indicates contamination in first body of water1110. A second stippled water contamination symbol 1130 indicates watercontamination in second body of water 1115.

Pre-Existing Networks

Information from various pre-existing networks may be utilized todetermine the status of geographic regions following a disaster. Forexample, networks such as traffic lights, utilities info, road closures,service providers (cable, internet, etc.), and other sources can beconsidered. Also, information from Internet of Things sensors can bereviewed. This information can be used to determine disaster responsestrategies. Information from vehicle diagnostics and reporting systemscan also be used. For example, glass breakage detectors, car alarms, oreven a lack of reporting from a vehicle can indicate a noteworthystatus.

FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of a post-disaster monitoring systemconfigured to receive data from multiple pre-existing networks. FIG. 12is a schematic network illustration of system 1200. As shown in FIG. 12, system 1200 may include a controller 1205. Controller 1205 may includevarious computing and communications hardware, such as servers,integrated circuits, displays, etc. Further, controller 1205 may includea device processor 1210 and a non-transitory computer readable medium1215 including instructions executable by device processor 1210 toperform the processes discussed herein. The components of controller1205 may be implemented in association with a mobile conditionsmonitoring center, such as vehicle, or in association with a controlcenter or conditions monitoring center located in a permanent building(i.e., brick and mortar establishment). Controller 1205 and itscomponents may have the same or similar features as controller 105 andits components discussed above.

Computer readable medium 1215 may include instructions to perform thefollowing steps: receiving information from one or more pre-existingnetworks; and determining conditions in a geographic region based on theinformation received from the one or more pre-existing networks.

As shown in FIG. 12 , among the pre-existing networks from whichcomputer readable medium 1215 has instructions to receive information isa traffic lights network 1230. Information from the traffic lightsnetwork regarding operation, outages, etc. of the traffic lights in ageographic region may enable determinations regarding various conditionsin the region, such as electrical power outages, traffic irregularities,and other conditions. Similarly, system 1200 may also be configured toreceive information regarding road closures.

In addition, system 1200 may receive Internet of Things information1235, as indicated in FIG. 12 , by a house 1240 with flood water 1245.In some embodiments, the house may be equipped with one or more moisturesensors configured to detect flooding. Also, as indicated by stipplingin flood water 1245, contamination may also be detected in flood water1245. Also, in some embodiments, air quality sensors may be networkedvia an Internet of Things system. Controller 705 may be configured toreceive data from various sensors such as those mentioned above.Controller 705 may be configured to receive data from such sensors.Further, many other types of Internet of Things data can be collected byvarious devices connected to the Internet of Things. In addition, system1200 may be configured to receive information from Internet of Thingsdevices in multiple buildings in a geographic region. Operationalstatus, power supply status, and other measurements and reporting fromnetworked Internet of Things devices and sensors can provide a greatdeal of information from which post-disaster conditions may be assessed.

In some embodiments, among the information from pre-existing networkswhich computer readable medium 1215 has instructions to receive isservice provider information 1250 from residential service providernetworks. Such networks may be associated with various monitoredservices provided to homes and businesses, such as cable television,satellite television, Internet service, and other such services.Similarly, the pre-existing networks from which system 1200 may receiveinformation may include public utilities networks.

In some embodiments, among the information from pre-existing networkswhich computer readable medium 1215 has instructions to receive isvehicle information 1260 from vehicle diagnostics and reporting systems.Information such as poor electrical system health may indicate flooding.Information such as vehicle alarm tripping and/or glass breakage mayindicate hail damage. Additionally, some information may be collectivelyanalyzed across multiple vehicles to make determinations of generalconditions within a geographic region. For example, in the daysfollowing a disaster, if a majority of vehicles in the region have lowfuel levels, this may indicate a lack of availability of fuel in thearea. The same may be true for electrical vehicles with respect tocharging.

In some embodiments, system 1200 may be configured to send informationregarding the determined conditions to inform organizations andresidents of the situation. For, example, in some embodiments, computerreadable medium 1215 may include instructions for sending informationregarding water contamination to a plurality of users of system 1200.For instance, users may access a website or an app on their personalelectronic device to which system 1200 may send reports of electricalpower outages.

Another way in which the determined conditions may be communicated toothers is via the preparation and distribution of a map showing theconditions in the area. Accordingly, in some embodiments, computerreadable medium 1215 may include instructions for preparing a mapindicating the conditions within the geographic region.

FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of a map showing locations ofcontaminated flood waters. FIG. 13 illustrates a map 1300, showing thegeneral status of conditions in localities within a geographic region.For example, map 1300 illustrates land areas 1305 and water areas 1310.Map 1300 shows areas with a generally good post-disaster condition witha thumbs-up symbol 1315. Conversely, map 1300 shows an area 1320 havinggenerally poor post-disaster conditions with a thumbs-down symbol 1325.It will be noted that these schemes and symbols are intended to bepurely schematic and that any suitable symbols or conventions may beused for map 1300.

In some embodiments, the map may include multiple layers of informationregarding post-disaster conditions, with each layer providing moredetailed information regarding various conditions. FIG. 14 shows map1300 with additional information incorporated. For instance, map 1300may include population density information. As shown in FIG. 14 , afirst symbol 1330 and a second symbol 1335 indicate areas with arelatively low population density. A third symbol 1340 indicates an areawith a higher population density. And a fourth symbol 1345 indicates anarea with the highest population density. Knowing about populationdensity in conjunction with general or specific conditions can assistdisaster responders in prioritizing the areas that can help the mostpeople in the shortest amount of time. For example, if two areas bothhave poor conditions, but one area is more densely populated, responderscan focus their initial efforts on the more populated area in order tohelp the most people as soon as possible. More specifically, with moredetailed conditions information, decisions can be made depending onwhich type of conditions the residents are under. For example, if onearea has no electrical power, and a second area is inundated withcontaminated flood waters, relief efforts may choose to assist those inthe flood area as a priority. However, if the flooded area is mostlyunpopulated, efforts may be better spent on assisting those in the poweroutage area.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a process of analyzing and utilizingdata received from pre-existing networks. As shown in FIG. 15 , thecomputer readable medium may include instructions for receivinginformation from multiple pre-existing network sources (step 1500). Inaddition, the computer readable medium may include instructions foranalyzing the data to determine disaster conditions (step 1505).Further, the computer readable medium may include instructions forsending information pertaining to the determined conditions to personsor organizations who may have an interest in the information. Forexample, the system may be configured to send the information to a thirdparty associated with disaster response (step 1510). Alternatively, oradditionally, the system may be configured to send the information topersonal electronic devices of users of the system.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating another process of analyzing andutilizing data received from pre-existing networks. As shown in FIG. 16, the computer readable medium may include instructions for receivinginformation from multiple pre-existing network sources (step 1600). Inaddition, the computer readable medium may include instructions foranalyzing the data to determine disaster conditions (step 1605).Further, the computer readable medium may include instructions forpreparing a map illustrating the detected conditions in the geographicregion (step 1610). The map may include multiple layers of informationregarding the determined conditions.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating another process of analyzing andutilizing data received from pre-existing networks. As shown in FIG. 17, the computer readable medium may include instructions for receivinginformation from multiple pre-existing network sources (step 1700). Inaddition, the computer readable medium may include instructions foranalyzing the data to determine disaster conditions (step 1705).Further, the computer readable medium may include instructions forpreparing disaster response strategies based on the analysis (step1710).

Crowd Source Imagery

Crowd source imagery can be collected to determine information aboutpost-disaster conditions in a geographic area. Information can becollected from personal electronic devices, such as mobile phones andother devices. In some embodiments, a platform may be provided for usersto upload their images.

FIG. 18 is a schematic illustration of a post-disaster monitoring systemconfigured to receive data from multiple pre-existing networks. FIG. 18is a schematic network illustration of system 1800. As shown in FIG. 18, system 1800 may include a controller 1805. Controller 1805 may includevarious computing and communications hardware, such as servers,integrated circuits, displays, etc. Further, controller 1805 may includea device processor 1810 and a non-transitory computer readable medium1815 including instructions executable by device processor 1810 toperform the processes discussed herein. The components of controller1805 may be implemented in association with a mobile conditionsmonitoring center, such as vehicle, or in association with a controlcenter or conditions monitoring center located in a permanent building(i.e., brick and mortar establishment). Controller 1805 and itscomponents may have the same or similar features as controller 105 andits components discussed above.

Computer readable medium 1815 may include instructions to perform thefollowing steps: receiving a plurality of images from a plurality ofpersonal devices in a geographic region; and determining conditions in ageographic region based on the information received from the pluralityof images. In some embodiments, the personal devices may includepersonal electronic devices, such as smart phones or tablet computers.In some embodiments, the personal devices may include other types ofdevices, such as drones with photographic capability.

As shown in FIG. 18 , system 1800 may be configured to receivephotographic images from a plurality of personal electronic devices.Generally, the more devices and photos are received, the more accuratedeterminations of post-disaster conditions may be. For purposes ofillustration and clarity, FIG. 18 shows only three users, including afirst user 1830, a second user 1835, and a third user 1840. As shown inFIG. 18 , controller 1805 may be configured to receive photographicimages from first user's personal electronic device, as indicated by afirst photo 1845. Further, controller 1805 may be configured to receivephotographic images from second user's personal electronic device, asindicated by a second photo 1850. In addition, controller 1805 may beconfigured to receive photographic images from third user's personalelectronic device, as indicated by a third photo 1855.

As also shown in FIG. 18 , photos 1870 may be received from a fleet 1860of drones 1865. In some embodiments, one or more drones of drone fleet1870 may be part of system 1800. In some embodiments, one or more of thedrones in drone fleet 1870 may be personal drones owned and/or operatedby a user who is otherwise unaffiliated with system 1800.

In some embodiments, the images may be delivered directly from thedrones to controller 1805. In such embodiments, the drones may includeequipment configured to complete such transmission of image files to aremote location, such as controller 1805. In some embodiments, theimages may be delivered through an intermediate device, such as thedrone user's smart phone or personal computer. The images may then bedelivered from the smart phone or personal computer. In some cases, oneor more drones of fleet 1860 may be brought back to the conditionmonitoring center to be plugged directly into controller 1805 fordownload of the images stored on board the drone.

In some embodiments, the photos from personal electronic devices and/orfrom drones may be received with time and/or location informationembedded with the image file. This may facilitate the analysis of theimagery in order to determine the collective implication with respect topost-disaster conditions in the geographic area from which the imagesare collected.

Various post-disaster conditions may be detectable via the analysis ofcrowd sourced imagery. For example, in some embodiments, computerreadable medium 1815 may include instructions for detecting floodingfrom the plurality of images. In some embodiments, computer readablemedium 1815 may include instructions for detecting wind damage from theplurality of images. In some embodiments, computer readable medium 1815may include instructions for detecting hail damage from the plurality ofimages. In some embodiments, computer readable medium 1815 may includeinstructions for detecting electrical power outages from the pluralityof images.

In some embodiments, system 1800 may be configured to send informationregarding the determined conditions to inform organizations andresidents of the situation. Another way in which the determinedconditions may be communicated to others is via the preparation anddistribution of a map showing the conditions in the area. Accordingly,in some embodiments, computer readable medium 1815 may includeinstructions for preparing a map indicating the conditions within thegeographic region.

FIG. 19 is a schematic illustration of a map showing locations of poweroutages and contaminated flood waters. FIG. 19 illustrates a map 1900,showing the general status of conditions in localities within ageographic region. For example, map 1900 illustrates land areas 1905 andwater areas 1910. Map 1900 also includes a first symbol 1915 indicatingareas where electrical power is unavailable.

Map 1900 may include multiple layers of information regarding variouspost-disaster conditions. For example, in addition to indicating thelocations of power outages, map 1900 may include a second symbol 1920indicating the locations of flood waters. Other layers of informationmay also be included on map 1900. For example, in some embodiments, map1900 may include information regarding population density in thegeographic region. These layers may be selected and deselected in orderto customize the display of map 1900 to show the information desired bythe user.

In some embodiments, the system may be configured to determine the areasof a given geographic region for which images are still needed in orderto assess the conditions in those areas. Users of the system may be ableto volunteer their services in obtaining photographic images in one ormore areas identified by the system as being in need of images.

In some embodiments, the system may produce a map, viewable by users ofthe system, that indicates the areas from with imagery is needed. FIG.20 is a schematic illustration of a map showing locations whereadditional images are needed to complete the map. Map 2000 illustratesland areas 2005 and water areas 2010. Map 2000 also includes a firstsymbol 2015 indicating areas where electrical power is unavailable, anda second symbol 2020 indicating areas of flooding. In addition, FIG. 20shows a first blank area 2025 and a second blank area 2030, indicatingareas from which imagery is needed. A map such as map 2000 may provideguidance to users by ensuring that their volunteer assistance withphotography produces the most useful information rather than simplyduplicating information that has already been obtained.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a process of analyzing and utilizingcrowd sourced images. As shown in FIG. 21 , the computer readable mediummay include instructions for receiving crowd sourced images frompersonal electronic devices (step 2100). In addition, the computerreadable medium may include instructions for analyzing the data todetermine disaster conditions (step 2105). Further, the computerreadable medium may include instructions for sending informationpertaining to the determined conditions to persons or organizations whomay have an interest in the information. For example, the system may beconfigured to send the information to a third party associated withdisaster response. Alternatively, or additionally, the system may beconfigured to send the information to personal electronic devices ofusers of the system (step 2110).

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating another process of analyzing andutilizing crowd sourced images. As shown in FIG. 22 , the computerreadable medium may include instructions for receiving crowd sourcedimages from personal electronic devices (step 2200). In addition, thecomputer readable medium may include instructions for analyzing the datato determine disaster conditions (step 2205). Further, the computerreadable medium may include instructions for preparing a mapillustrating the detected conditions in the geographic region (step2210). The map may include multiple layers of information regarding thedetermined conditions.

In some embodiments, the system may provide a platform that users mayutilize to submit their images for consideration. For example, a websiteor mobile app may be configured to facilitate uploading images to aconditions monitoring center or other interested party for considerationin determining post-disaster conditions and preparing disaster responsestrategies.

FIG. 23 is a schematic illustration of a portable electronic deviceshowing an app interface for uploading images. FIG. 23 is a schematicillustration of a personal electronic device 2300 displaying a user app.As shown in FIG. 23 , personal electronic device 2300 may include agraphical user interface 2305.

Personal electronic device 2300 may include a device processor and anon-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor. These components may have the sameor similar attributes discussed above with respect to similar componentsin other embodiments.

The computer readable medium of device 2300 may include instructions forregistering the user with a disaster response system, e.g., via a menuitem 2310. In addition, the app may be configured to display locationsfrom which images are needed, e.g., via menu item 2315. By selectingmenu item 2315, a map may be displayed illustrating the areas from whichimages are needed. Such a map may appear similar to map 2000 shown inFIG. 20 . The user may be able to select the various areas where imagesare needed (menu item 2320), to thereby volunteer their services inobtaining and uploading images from the selected locations. Once theimages have been captured, the user may upload the images via menu item2325, and submit or send the images via menu item 2330. For example, theuser may send the images to a conditions monitoring center.

In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may includeinstructions for receiving information regarding disaster conditionsfrom the conditions monitoring center. The computer readable medium mayfurther include instructions for displaying a map including theinformation received from the conditions monitoring center. The mapincludes multiple layers of the information received from the conditionsmonitoring center. In addition, the computer readable medium may includeinstructions for updating the map including the information regardinglocations where images are needed by removing the locations for whichthe user sent images.

Drones

Drones may be used for several tasks following disasters. On-boardcameras and sensors can help collect data. In some cases, fleets ofdrones may be deployed. The fleets may be pre-assembled, or may besimply collections of volunteer drones assembled after the disaster hasoccurred. The drones may be auto-controlled. In some cases, theauto-control may operate the drones collectively as a fleet.

A network may be provided to feed the data (e.g., images) captured bythe drones back to a centralized location such as a conditionsmonitoring center. The drones themselves may serve as repeaters to passalong the data. In some cases, dedicated repeaters may be provided onland or on other vehicles such as emergency trucks in the area.

In some cases, other types of robots or drones, such as unmanned landvehicles or watercraft may be used in a similar way as aerial drones.Such land and water vehicles may be useful in disasters such as fires,where smoke prevents the collection of useful imagery from the air.Drones may also be configured to collect air quality or water qualitysamples and, in some cases, perform testing on such samples.

FIG. 24 is a schematic illustration of a post-disaster monitoring system2400 configured to receive images obtained using a fleet of drones. Asshown in FIG. 24 , system 2400 may include a mobile control center inthe form of vehicle 2405. In addition, system 2400 may be configured toinclude and/or be operable in association with a plurality of dronesconfigured to collect information, such as photographic images, of adisaster area. In some cases, the drones may be configured to obtainvideo recordings. As shown in FIG. 24 , a first drone 2410, a seconddrone 2415, and a third drone 2420 may be dispatched from the mobilecontrol center provided by vehicle 2405. In other cases, a permanentfacility, such as a fire station, may be utilized as the control center.Alternatively, the drone fleet may be comprised of a plurality ofprivately owned drones that are utilized by their respective owners toobtain the imagery. Further, in some embodiments, privately owned dronesmay be offered by their owners to be utilized by disaster responders tocapture images for analysis.

The specifications of the drones associated with system 2400 may besuited for the type of terrain, routes, imagery, data collection, etc.for which the drones are to be used. The drones may have enough power tocarry the necessary photography, film, and/or data collection equipment.In some embodiments, such equipment may include various types ofphotography and/or film equipment, including standard visual, infrared,night vision, and other types of imagery equipment. Infrared imagery mayfacilitate searches for humans and/or animals in a disaster area,particularly among damaged buildings and other structures. In addition,thermal imagery, such as infrared, may be combined with standard visualimages to detect water conditions. Further, in some embodiments, thedrones may include other types of data collection equipment such asLight Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), which is a remote sensing systemconfigured to map the surface of the earth, and may penetrate vegetationin order to provide an accurate topographical scan of the groundsurface. This may be used to determine structural damage to buildings,roadways, and other infrastructure, as well as ground conditions, suchas mudslides, flooding, extreme erosion, etc. Additionally, oralternatively, the drones may include air quality sensors, water qualitysensors, or other data collection devices.

In addition, the drones may have enough range, both in terms ofcontrollability/navigation and battery life in order to travel therequired distance to the location to be photographed. For example,drones may be configured with capability to fly from an edge of adisaster area to locations that are centrally located within thedisaster area. In some cases, the drones may be capable of flying froman edge of a disaster area to an opposite edge of the disaster area. Forexample, if a disaster area falls along a coastline or lake, theshoreline may form the edge of the disaster area on one side.Accordingly, the closest a drone may be deployed to the location to bephotographed may be the opposite edge of the disaster area. Accordingly,the drones may be capable of traversing the full distance across thedisaster area to complete certain reconnaissance missions. The systemmay be configured to dispatch the drones according to the specificationsof each drone.

Further, the communication capabilities shall also be duly suited foreach drone's intended use. In some embodiments, the drones may beautonomous. That is, the drones may be programmable to execute imagingruns to designated locations. In other embodiments, the drones may bepiloted remotely.

Any suitable system may be utilized for video and/or audiocommunication. For example, radio, satellite, cellular, Internet, orother communication networks may be utilized.

FIG. 25 is a schematic illustration of the system shown in FIG. 24 withthe drones airborn and collecting images. The conditions monitoringcenter, be it housed in vehicle 2405 or elsewhere, may include acontroller including a device processor and a non-transitory computerreadable medium including instructions executable by the deviceprocessor. In particular, the computer readable medium may includeinstructions for receiving images from the plurality of aircraft dronesin a geographic region; and determining conditions in the geographicregion based on the images received from the plurality of aircraftdrones.

As shown in FIG. 25 , vehicle 2405 may include basic components of avehicle, such as a power source 2402, wheels 2403, a driver's cab 2401,etc. In addition, vehicle 2405 may also include an equipment compartment2430 configured to house condition monitoring equipment, disaster reliefsupplies, etc. Also, vehicle 2405 may include drone communicationequipment, such as an antenna 2421 and one or more associatedtransmitters, receivers, and/or transceivers.

As shown in FIG. 25 , the drones may be operated to photograph differentareas of a geographic region, such as a disaster area. For example, asshown in FIG. 25 , first drone 2410 may be operated to photograph afirst area 2440 and second drone 2425 may be operated to photograph asecond area 2445. The photographic images of these areas may then betransmitted back to the control center. For example, as shown in FIG. 25, in some embodiments, the drones may send the images back to vehicle2405, as illustrated by image 2450 in FIG. 25 .

The photographs may be processed by the system to assess the conditionsin the disaster area. In addition, the system may be configured to sendinformation regarding the determined conditions to one or more users ofthe system. In some embodiments, the computer readable medium of thesystem may include instructions for preparing a map indicating thedetermined conditions within the geographic region. In some cases, themap may include multiple layers of information. In some embodiments, oneor more of the layers of information may include information regardingpopulation density in the geographic region.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart illustrating a process of dispatching drones forcapturing images on an ongoing basis. As shown in FIG. 26 , the computerreadable medium of a post-disaster monitoring system may includeinstructions for receiving data from one or more drones dispatched in adisaster area (step 2600). In addition, the computer readable medium mayinclude instructions for analyzing the data to determine conditions inthe disaster area following the disaster (step 2605).

In some embodiments, the computer readable medium may includeinstructions for determining whether the battery charge of a dispatcheddrone is below a predetermined threshold (step 2610). If not, the systemmay continue to receive data from the drone as it captures additionalimages, as indicated by the return of the process to step 2600 in FIG.26 . If the battery charge is detected as having dropped below thepredetermined threshold (at step 2610), the system may dispatch areplacement drone with a fresh battery (step 2615). In some cases, thesystem may recall the originally dispatched drone to the dispatchlocation. In some cases, the original drone may be recharged at thedispatch location or elsewhere, and then readied for further deployment.

In some cases, the system may be configured for the drones to send theimages back to a control center without having to physically return tothe center for download of the images. In some cases, the system may beconfigured to utilize one or more repeaters to relay the delivery ofimaging data from the drones to the control center. In some cases, oneor more of the drones may be configured to relay data from other dronesto the control center. In some cases, a land vehicle, such as vehicle2405 may be configured to relay the data to a condition monitoringcenter or other facility.

FIG. 27 is a schematic illustration of a post-disaster monitoring systemincluding at least one signal repeater deployed on a vehicle. As shownin FIG. 27 , image 2450 may be sent by first drone 2410 to vehicle 2405and relayed to a condition monitoring center 2455 located remote fromvehicle 2405. Condition monitoring center 2455 may includecommunications equipment to receive such relayed communications, asindicated by an antenna 2460.

The system may include a platform, such as a website or app, with whichdrone owners can volunteer the services of their personally owned drone.Through the app, the users can obtain an assignment to complete areconnaissance mission using their drone. Such a platform may facilitatethe organization of a large number of drones to photograph a disasterarea without needing a large fleet of dedicated disaster response dronesto be owned and operated by disaster relief organizations.

FIG. 28 is a schematic illustration of a portable electronic deviceshowing an app interface for users to volunteer the services of theirpersonally owned drone. FIG. 28 is a schematic illustration of apersonal electronic device 2800 displaying a user app. As shown in FIG.28 , personal electronic device 2800 may include a graphical userinterface 2805.

Personal electronic device 2800 may include a device processor and anon-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor. These components may have the sameor similar attributes discussed above with respect to similar componentsin other embodiments.

The computer readable medium of device 2800 may include instructions forregistering the user with a disaster response system, e.g., via a menuitem 2810. In addition, the app may be configured to indicate, e.g., viamenu item 2815, that they have a drone the services of which they arewilling to volunteer for disaster relief purposes. By selecting menuitem 2815, a map may be displayed illustrating the areas from whichimages are needed. Such a map may appear similar to map 2000 shown inFIG. 20 . The user may be able to select the various areas where imagesare needed, to thereby volunteer their services in obtaining anduploading images from the selected locations. The user may also be ableto select whether they are offering the use of their drone to disasterresponse organizations or if they will operate their drone themselves.

The user may also indicate, via a menu item 2820 whether they havebattery charging services available that they are willing to share withother drone operators. In addition, the user may utilize menu item 2825to select various specifications of their drone, in order to ensure thatthe system assigns a reconnaissance mission that is suitable for thecapabilities of the volunteer's drone. For example, the user may selectwhether their drone is remotely operated or programmable/autonomous. Thecomputer readable medium of device 2800 may include instructions forexecuting the tasks described above. In addition, the computer readablemedium may also include instructions for uploading images taken duringthe volunteer drone service. The image upload feature may be executedaccording to the description above with respect to FIG. 23 .

In some embodiments, land vehicle drones and/or watercraft drones may beutilized in a similar manner as described above with respect to aerialdrones. FIG. 29 is a schematic illustration of a post-disastermonitoring system 2900 including a plurality of land vehicles. As shownin FIG. 29 , system 2900 may include a control center, such as a vehicle2905. Control center vehicle 2905 may have features and capabilitiesthat are the same or similar to those described above with respectvehicle 2405 in FIG. 25 .

System 2900 may also include a plurality of land vehicle drones, such asa first drone 2905 and a second drone 2910. In some embodiments, thesedrones may be operated remotely. In some embodiments, these drones maybe operated autonomously. Further, in some embodiments, these drones maybe equipped with air quality sensors. Such sensors may be usable todetermine the conditions in various disaster situations, such as a firewith voluminous smoke, or a chemical plant explosion, where there may bedangerous aerosols in the air.

In some embodiments, the drones may include photography equipment foracquiring images of a disaster area. Such ground-based drones may beuseful in obtaining images in situations like fires where the smoke maylimit the effectiveness of aerial imagery. As shown in FIG. 29 , firstdrone 2905 may be utilized to photograph a first area 2915 and send theimages 2920 back to the control center. In addition, second drone 2910may be utilized to photograph a second area 2925 and send the images2930 back to the control center.

The control center or conditions monitoring center may include having acontroller including a device processor and a non-transitory computerreadable medium including instructions executable by the deviceprocessor to receiving data from the air quality sensors or photographyequipment and determine conditions in a geographic region based on thereceived data. In addition, the computer readable medium may includeinstructions for sending information regarding the determined conditionsto one or more users of the system.

FIG. 30 is a schematic illustration of components of the system shown inFIG. 29 . As shown in FIG. 30 , system 2900 may include a controller3005. Controller 3005 may include various computing and communicationshardware, such as servers, integrated circuits, displays, etc. Further,controller 3005 may include a device processor 3010 and a non-transitorycomputer readable medium 3015 including instructions executable bydevice processor 3010 to perform the processes discussed herein. Thecomponents of controller 3005 may be implemented in association with amobile conditions monitoring center, such as vehicle 2905, or inassociation with a control center or conditions monitoring centerlocated in a permanent building (i.e., brick and mortar establishment).Controller 3005 and its components may have the same or similar featuresas controller 105 and its components discussed above.

As shown in FIG. 30 , a fleet 3030 of drones, including a first drone3035, a second drone 3040, and a third drone 3045 may acquire aplurality of photographic images 3050. These images 3050 may be sentback to controller 3005. Computer readable medium 3015 may includeinstructions for receiving images 3050 and determining conditions in thephotographed area based on images 3050.

The embodiments discussed herein may make use of methods and systems inartificial intelligence to improve efficiency and effectiveness of thedisclosed systems. As used herein, “artificial intelligence” may includeany known methods in machine learning and related fields. As examples,artificial intelligence may include systems and methods used in deeplearning and machine vision.

While various embodiments have been described, the description isintended to be exemplary, rather than limiting, and it will be apparentto those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments andimplementations are possible that are within the scope of theembodiments. Although many possible combinations of features are shownin the accompanying figures and discussed in this detailed description,many other combinations of the disclosed features are possible. Anyfeature of any embodiment may be used in combination with, orsubstituted for, any other feature or element in any other embodimentunless specifically restricted. Therefore, it will be understood thatany of the features shown and/or discussed in the present disclosure maybe implemented together in any suitable combination. Accordingly, theembodiments are not to be restricted except in light of the attachedclaims and their equivalents. Also, various modifications and changesmay be made within the scope of the attached claims.

We claim:
 1. A power outage detection system, comprising: a deviceprocessor; and a non-transitory computer readable medium includinginstructions executable by the device processor to perform the followingsteps: receiving information indicative of the status of electricalpower at a plurality of locations within a geographic region;determining the status of electrical power in the geographic regionbased on the status of electrical power at the plurality of locations;determining a boundary of an area in which electrical power isunavailable; and preparing a map that illustrates the boundary; whereinthe information indicative of the status of electrical power for whichthe computer readable medium includes instructions to receive includesinformation regarding operating status of Internet of Things devices inthe geographic region.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the informationindicative of the status of electrical power for which the computerreadable medium includes instructions to receive includes informationregarding battery state of a portable electronic device.
 3. The systemof claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the status ofelectrical power for which the computer readable medium includesinstructions to receive includes information regarding operating statusof onboard automobile diagnostics.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein theinformation indicative of the status of electrical power for which thecomputer readable medium includes instructions to receive includesinformation regarding usage of services that are trackable remotely. 5.The system of claim 1, wherein the information indicative of the statusof electrical power for which the computer readable medium includesinstructions to receive includes information regarding emergencytelephone calls.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the informationindicative of the status of electrical power for which the computerreadable medium includes instructions to receive includes informationregarding user reports of conditions in the geographic region.
 7. Apower outage detection system, comprising: a device processor; and anon-transitory computer readable medium including instructionsexecutable by the device processor to perform the following steps:receiving information indicative of the status of electrical power at aplurality of locations within a geographic region; determining thestatus of electrical power in the geographic region based on the statusof electrical power at the plurality of locations; determining that auser within the geographic region does not have electrical poweravailable based the information received; and preparing a map thatindicates that an area proximate to the user in the geographic regiondoes not have electrical power available; wherein the informationindicative of the status of electrical power for which the computerreadable medium includes instructions to receive includes informationregarding battery state of a portable electronic device; and whereindetermining the status of electrical power in the geographic region isperformed based on the battery state of the portable electronic device.8. The system of claim 7 wherein the information indicative of thestatus of electrical power for which the computer readable mediumincludes instructions to receive includes information regardingoperating status of Internet of Things devices in the geographic region.9. The system of claim 7, wherein the information indicative of thestatus of electrical power for which the computer readable mediumincludes instructions to receive includes information regarding usage ofservices that are trackable remotely.
 10. The system of claim 7, whereinthe information indicative of the status of electrical power for whichthe computer readable medium includes instructions to receive includesinformation regarding emergency telephone calls.
 11. The system of claim7, wherein the information indicative of the status of electrical powerfor which the computer readable medium includes instructions to receiveincludes information regarding user reports of conditions in thegeographic region.
 12. The system of claim 7, wherein the informationindicative of the status of electrical power for which the computerreadable medium includes instructions to receive includes informationregarding operating status of onboard automobile diagnostics.
 13. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein preparing the map includes determining aboundary of an area in which electrical power is unavailable.
 14. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein the computer readable medium further includesinstructions for sending information regarding the status of electricalpower to a plurality of users of the system.
 15. The system of claim 7,wherein the computer readable medium further includes instructions forsending the map to a plurality of users of the system.
 16. The system ofclaim 7, wherein the computer readable medium further includesinstructions for: determining that there is a power outage in thegeographic area.
 17. The system of claim 9, wherein the services thatare trackable remotely include at least one of Internet service,electrical service, cable television service, and satellite televisionservice.
 18. A power outage detection system, comprising: a deviceprocessor; and a non-transitory computer readable medium includinginstructions executable by the device processor to perform the followingsteps: receiving information indicative of the status of electricalpower at a plurality of locations within a geographic region;determining the status of electrical power in the geographic regionbased on the status of electrical power at the plurality of locations;determining that a user within the geographic region does not haveelectrical power available based the information received; and preparinga map that indicates that an area proximate to the user in thegeographic region does not have electrical power available; wherein theinformation indicative of the status of electrical power for which thecomputer readable medium includes instructions to receive includesinformation regarding operating status of Internet of Things devices inthe geographic region; and wherein determining the status of electricalpower in the geographic region is performed based on the informationregarding operating status of Internet of Things devices.
 19. The systemof claim 18, wherein preparing the map includes determining a boundaryof an area in which electrical power is unavailable.
 20. The system ofclaim 18, wherein the computer readable medium further includesinstructions for sending the map to a plurality of users of the system.